Shrapnel-loading machine.



P. STEPANOFF. SHRAPNEL LOADING MACHINE.

APPUcATloN FILED APR. 29. i916.

1,229,666. 'Patented June 12, 1917.

PETER STEPANOFF, F PETROGRAD, RUSSIA.

SHRALPNEL-LOADING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J une 12,1911?.

Application filed April 29, 1916. Serial No. 94,306.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER STEPANOFE, a subject of the Emperor of Russia,and resident of Petrograd, Russia, have made a certain new and usefulInvention Relating to Shrapnel-Loading Machines, of which thel followingisa specification, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing,which forms part of the same.

This invention relates especially to machines for loading shrapnelshells with powder after they have been manufactured and filled withbullets. The shells' may then have .attached to them a suitable powderfeed connection comprising a feed hopper which may have a' connector capscrewed into the fuse socket of the shell so as to support a feed tubeextending the desired distube. To facilitate packing of the powdercharge the shells after the hopper and powder feeding connections areattached thereto may be placed on a jolting support as by placing eachshell in a socket receiving a number of sharp impact or jolting impulsesper second so as to forcibly and rmly pack the powder grains within theshell chamber after which the valve may be closed and the powder feedingconnection removed from the shell and connected to another.

In the accompanying drawing showing in a somewhat diagrammatic way anillustrative embodiment of this invention,

Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section thereof taken substantially along theline 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical section showing the powder feedconnections coperating with a shell.

Fig. 4 is a top view thereof; and

Fig. 5 is a view of another-.form of feed hopper and connections forlattachment to the shell. l f

In the illustrative embodiment of this invention shown in the drawingthejolting device may comprise a suitable jolting table or frame 2 inconnection with which a jolt cam such as 6 may be mounted as by having'its driveV shaft 9 supported in the bearings S secured to the table orframe. This shaft and cam may be driven at the desired speed as throughthe drive pulley 10 so that the cam projections 7 which preferably havea somewhat spiral arrangement around the cam are adapted to give somesix to ten hundred jolt impulses more or less per minute to each joltingsupport or connected member cogperating with the cam. To convenientlysupport the shrapnel shells during this jolting operation a series ofjolting supports or sockets such as 3 may -be mounted on the joltingtable and each socket may have its attached stem t extending through asuitable guide hole or bearing in the table so that its tip 5 cooperateswith the jolt cam 6 as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2 so as to eect therapid jolting movement of this support which may be moved vertically aneighth of an inch more or less each time a cam projection passes underits tip. These sockets 3 and connected stems l may, if desired, beinterchangeable so that they may be readily removed and replaced byother' sockets of such size as to accommodate a different shrapnel shellif-desired, it being convenient to have each jolting table of vsuch sizeas to accommodate ten or so of these supports, although more or less canof course be mounted in a single unit.

The shrapnel shells 21 which are adapted to coperate with these joltingsupports 3 may be of any suitable construction and may comprise assomewhat diagrammatically indicated in Fig. 3 the shell body or casing21 and the internal diaphragms or parts 30, 24,-

connectedto the ignition tube 29 so as to properly support the charge ofshrapnel balls or bullets 33 above the ypowder chamn ber 31 at the baseof the shell. The powder feed connections may, if desired, comprise afeed hopper 14 supported by the connector cap 16 which preferably has adepending neck formed with one or two partial threads 19 adapted tocooperate with the threaded fuse socket 2O so that the cap may bereadily screwed thereinto to firmly support the hopper and connectedpowder feed devices during the filling operation. If desired, the hoppermay be of relatively small capacity and may be supplied with suitablepowder such as ordinary granular black powder used for this purposethrough a feeding hose or flexible connection 11 having its end 12screwed on the connected threaded flange 13 on the cover l0 of thehopper which may, if desired, have a lid portion 39 hinged about thepins 38 and normally held in closed position as by the spring catch 44.

If it is desired to have the packed powder Vcharge 32 merely lill thepowder chamber 31 at the base of the shrapnel shell so as to leave theignition tube 29 of the shell empty of such granular powder so that itvmay be filled with a charge of special powder, the 'powder feedconnections may then advantageously comprise a feed tube, such, as 23,secured as by the screw 24 to the neck l5 so as to extend down withinthe ignition tube of the shell. substantially to the powder chamber 31at its base where this feed tube may be provided with a constrictedthroat, such as 28. It is of advantage to have a cut-ofl' valve arrangedin connection with these powder feed devices and for this purpose thecut-off Y' valve 27 which may have the conical shape indicatedk may beformed' on the end of the valve stem 26 extending through the feed tubeand supported as in a suitable guide in the hopper and a guidingaperture in lthe cover 40 thereof so that normally this valve is held inthe open position indicated in Fig. 3 in which an annular feed passageis provided for the powder between this.

valve and the surrounding feed tube 28. A suitable head, such as 35, maybe formed on this valve stem which may normally be held in raisedposition as by the return spring 34:

so that thishead may normally be held in engagement with the aliningportion 4 1 ofv .the spring retainer' 36 which may as indicated bemounted on thecover of the hopper while when pushed downward by theoperator this head is forced past the retainer `so as tor snap under thelocking projection 37 thereof which serves to hold the shutoff valve inclosed position within the constricted throat 28 until the springretainer is moved laterally to a suiiicient extent to Vrelease the headand allow it to snap up into the raised position indicated.

When the shell 21 to which these powder feed connections have beensecured as above described is placed in the jolting support 3 thegranular powder from the feed hopper llV rapidly passes under thisjolting action down through the feed passage into the powder chamber 31at the base of the shell into vwhich the powder is tightly packed, thegrains being rapidly and forcibly packed together so as to completelyfill the chamber with such a tightly packed powder charge that itssubsequent displacement during transportation is rendered practicallyimfpossible. fof the powder chamber from time to time lbypressing downthe valve stem 26 which moves the cut-off or detector valve 27 quite'freely into they throat when theupper part The operator can test thefilling of the'powder chamber is empty or only loosely filled whileencountering considpowder charge `lillsthe entire chamber up to theconstricted throat 28 of the feed tube. l/Vhen the operator iinds thatthe powder chamber is properly filled he forces this cutoff valve 27down into closed position which substantially tightly closes thedischarge end of this feed tube, so that when the shell is removed fromthe jolting support and .the hopper and connector cap are unscrewed andremoved from the shrapnel shellfthere is substantially no leakage ofpowder so that these powder feed connections may be dis-` engaged froinone shell and secured to an# other without waste of powder. Y

If it is desired touse the Vsaine Agranular powder to fillthe ignitiontube 29 of the shrapnel shell as the main powder chamber 31 thereof, thepowder feed connection may be formed with a throat l'SYin the lower partof the neck 43 'of the connector, 'as shown in Fig. 5, so that theentire ignition tube of the shell will be filled `with powder when theshut-off valve 27 is forced home by downward movement of its stem 42`t0close this throat 48 and allow the transfer1 of this powder feedconnection to another shell.

This invention has been drescribed'in conf, nection with number ofillustrative em` bodiments, forms, proportions, parts, materials andarrangements, and methods of use, to the details ofwhich disclosurethe iinvention is not of course to be limited, ex,-E

yadapted to receive a shrapnel shell, ja se-n ries of powder feedconnections Vto be removably secured to shrapnelv shells and eachcomprising a feed hopper, a connected supply hose to supply powderthereto, a connector cap secured to said feed hopper and formed with aneck having a partial thread to be screwed into the fuse/socket oftheshell, a feed tube removably secured to said neck and adapted to extendwithin theignition tube of the shell adjacent the powder chamber at lthebase of the shell, a constricted throat formed at the end of said feedtube, a conical cutsoif detector valve mounted within said feed tube tocooperate with said throat in determining the filled condition of thepowder chamber, a stem o n said valve extending through'said hopper," areturn spring to normally hold vsaid stem in raised position, a head onsaid stein and a i lfeed tube during'transfer ofy said feedingconnection from one shell to another. 2. In shrapnel loading machines,a' series of interchangeable jolting supports "each adapted to receive ashrapnel shell, a series of powder feed connections to be removablysecured to shrapnel shells and each comprising a feed hopper, a feedtube adapted to extend within the ignition tube of the shell, aconstricted throat formed at the end of said feed tube, a detectorcut-offl valve mounted within said feed tube to coperate with saidthroat, a stem on said valve extending through said hopper, a head onsaid stem and a retainer coperating with said head to hold the connectedcut-off valve in raised open position or in closed positionsubstantially closing the constricted throat of said feed tube duringtransfer of said feeding connection from one shell to another.

8. In shell loading machines, a jolting support adapted to receive andjolt a shell, a powder feed connection to be removably secured to shellsand comprising a powder feed hopper, a feed tube adapted to extendwithin the ignition tube of 'the shell, a constricted throat formed atthe end of said feed tube and a detector cut-ofi1 valve mounted withinsaid feed tube to coperate with said throat and determine the filledcondition of the shell.

a. In shrapnel loading machines, a powder feed connection to beremovably secured to a shrapnel shell and comprising a feed hopper, aconnected supply hose to supply powder thereto, a connector cap securedto said feed hopper to be screwed into the fuse socket of the shell andprovided with a constricted throat through whichthe powder passes intothe shell, a cut-off valve mounted to coperate with said throat andmeans to hold said cut-off valve in open position or in closed positionsubstantially closing said constricted throat during transfer of thefeeding connection from one shell to another, a jolting support toreceive the shell and means coperating with said support to jolt theshell during filling and to pack the powder therein. l

5. In shrapnel shell loading machines, a powder feed connection to beremovably secured to a shell and comprising a feed hopper, a connectedsupply hose to supply powder thereto, a connector cap secured to saidfeed hopper to be screwed into the fuse socket of the shell and providedwith a feed tube adapted to extend within the ignition tube of the shelland with a constricted throat through which the powder is dischargedinto the shell, a cut-ofi' valve mounted to coperate with said throatand spring retainer means to hold` said cut-ofi' valve in open positionor in closed position substantially closing said constricted throatduring transfer of the feeding connection from one shell to another.

6. In shell loading mechanism, a powder feed connection to be removablysecured to a shell and comprising a feed hopper, a connected supply hoseto supply powder thereto, a connector cap secured to said feed hopper tobe screwed into the fuse socket of the shell and provided with aconstricted throat" through which the powder is discharged into theshell, a cut-0E valve mounted to coperate with said throat and means tohold said cut-off valve in closed position substantially closing saidconstricted throat during transfer of the feeding connection from oneshell to another.

7 In shell loading machines, a powder feed connection to be removablysecured to shrapnel shells and comprising a feed hop.- per, a connectedsupply hose to supply powder thereto, a connector cap secured to saidfeed hopper and adapted to be secured to the shell, a feed tube securedto said cap and adapted to extend within the ignition tube of the shelladjacent the powder chamber at the base of the shell, a constrictedthroat formed at the end of said feed tube,

a detector cut-off valve mounted within said feed tube to coperate withand protrude through said throat in determining the filled condition ofthe powder chamber, a stem on said valve extending through said hopper,a head on said stem and a retainer coperating with said head to hold theconnected cuto valve in raised open position or in closed positionsubstantially closing the constricted throat of said feed tube duringtransfer of said feeding connection from one shell to another.

8. In shell loading machines, a powder feed connection to be removablysecured to shells and comprisin a powder feed tube adapted to extendwithin the shell, a constricted throat formed at the end of said feedtube and a detector device mounted within said feed tube to coperatewith said throat and be manually projected through said throat todetermine the compacting of the powder within the adjacent part of theshell.

PETER STEPANOFF.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

